Gara, a Siberian tiger, cares for her new child cubs on the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark in 2008.
Henning Bagger/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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Henning Bagger/AFP by way of Getty Photos
A European zoo stirred up intrigue and controversy after a social media publish asking for surplus pets to be donated to feed captive animals went viral.
In a publish on Fb, the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark requested individuals to donate undesirable pets that might be “gently euthanized” and fed to predators in captivity.
“Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs type an necessary a part of the food regimen of our predators – particularly the European lynx, which wants complete prey that resembles what it could naturally hunt within the wild,” the zoo wrote.
“In zoos now we have a duty to mimic the pure meals chain of the animals – by way of each animal welfare {and professional} integrity,” the publish continued. “That approach, nothing goes to waste – and we guarantee pure conduct, diet and well-being of our predators.”
The zoo additionally accepts horses as a part of its fodder program.
The Fb publish rapidly turned a battleground between commenters who had been appalled on the idea of euthanizing wholesome pets for animal feed, and those that applauded the zoo for its technique of sustaining a sensible meals provide for its animals.
A lot of the umbrage directed towards the zoo appeared to stem from using the phrase “pets” to seek advice from the animals, which referred to as to thoughts the picture of well-loved lapdogs being despatched alive right into a literal lions’ den.
“It is a joke proper,” one enraged commenter wrote. “Nobody would deliver his wholesome pet to a zoo to allow them to kill it and feed it to their animals.”
“In Denmark, this follow is frequent”
The Aalborg Zoo says canines and cats are excluded from this system. Donatable animals are restricted to chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses, it says, including that it is a follow it has maintained with patrons for years.
“When maintaining carnivores, it’s vital to offer them with meat, ideally with fur, bones, and so forth., to present them as pure a food regimen as doable,” zoo Deputy Director Pia Nielsen mentioned in an announcement to NPR.
“Subsequently, it is sensible to permit animals that must be euthanized for varied causes to be of use on this approach. In Denmark, this follow is frequent, and lots of of our friends and companions recognize the chance to contribute,” Nielsen added.
What consultants say
Specialists say that it is vital for captive animals to be fed complete animal components, together with fur, bones and organs, to keep up the type of consuming habits they might exhibit within the wild.
Captive carnivores in the US typically have their diets supplemented with commercially out there meat merchandise, like chunk or mincemeat.
“The issue with simply feeding lions meat is that the offal (liver, coronary heart, and so forth.) is far richer in varied vitamins than muscle meat – wild lions solely begin consuming the muscle tissue after they’ve completed the offal,” Craig Packer, founder and director of the Lion Middle on the College of Minnesota, advised NPR in an e-mail. “So feeding lions something moreover horse and cow meat would in all probability be a welcome change.”
The Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is an accreditation physique for conservation applications in the US. It mentioned that its member zoos don’t make use of or endorse the solicitation of pets for meals.
However the Dietary Advisory Group to the AZA highlights the significance of predatory animals nonetheless getting access to giant and complete animal stays as a part of a balanced food regimen.
“Feeding vertebrate animal carcasses to captive carnivores has been a administration software utilized by zoos in the US for a few years,” the advisory group mentioned in an announcement.
“It encompasses all kinds of prey varieties/type of presentation, from complete physique to portion managed, and has the helpful results of stimulating exercise and enhancing regular feeding conduct,” it mentioned.
The distinction in American and European zoo practices has been highlighted earlier than, significantly within the case of Denmark.
In 2015, the nation’s Odense Zoo made worldwide headlines for its resolution to kill and publicly dissect a 9-month-old feminine lion in entrance of college kids, as a way to manage the ability’s lion inhabitants – a follow the zoo had been carrying on for many years.
A yr earlier than within the capital metropolis of Copenhagen, animal rights activists had been horrified to be taught {that a} wholesome two-year-old giraffe often known as Marius had been euthanized and his stays fed to the zoo’s lions. The Copenhagen Zoo mentioned placing Marius down had been essential to keep away from inbreeding amongst its giraffe inhabitants.
